Multilateral Trade and Agricultural Affairs

“Trade is the engine for a sustained expansion of prosperity around the world.” – President George W. Bush

The Office of Multilateral Trade and Agricultural Affairs is comprised of two divisions:

The Multilateral Trade Affairs (MTA) division leads the State Department's trade policy activities in multilateral institutions, including the World Trade Organization (WTO) and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). It provides technical expertise in regional and bilateral trade negotiations including labor, environment, services, government procurement, trade remedies, and trade capacity building. The MTA team is working to conclude an ambitious WTO Doha Development Round that will provide economic benefits to the U.S. and help reduce poverty abroad. MTA also supports bilateral WTO accession negotiations and U.S. Trade programs to include the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program.

The Agriculture, Biotechnology and Textile Trade Affairs (ABT) division works to advance the State Department’s critical global food security goals. The ABT team is addressing barriers and opening markets for American farm products, contributing to the development of effective food aid policies, promoting rural development and increasing agricultural productivity through biotechnology. The ABT division oversees the distribution of the Department’s biotech outreach funds to promote international acceptance of biotechnology. See our blog post commemorating World Food Day.

Mr. Bill Craft is the Director of the Office of Multilateral Trade and Agriculture Affairs in the Bureau of Economic, Energy and Business Affairs at the Department of State. Mr. Craft is the lead officer in the Department for all issues related to the World Trade Organization (WTO), including negotiation of the Doha Development Agenda, international trade disputes, and WTO accessions as well on issues relating to agriculture and biotechnology. Mr. Craft began his career at State in the Foreign Service, where his assignments included Embassy Rome; desk officer for Haiti and Dominican Republic; and in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Since his conversion to the Civil Service, he has worked in the Bureau of Human Resources and held a number of management positions in the Economic Bureau. In 2005, Mr. Craft received the Secretary's Award for Public Diplomacy. He has received a number of the Department of State’s Superior Honor Awards for his work on the WTO's Doha Development Agenda, the World Summit on Sustainable Development, the Uruguay Round, and for his role in negotiating NAFTA.